The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-03-09
Henry Ward Bpecher Dead.

Rev. Henry Ward Beecher died at half-past
nine yesterday morning. He was stricken
with apopleXy at his home in Brooklyn Sat
urday afternoon. AT the moment of the at
tack he was writing copy for his book, The
Life of Christ" He had been ailing for a
day or two, but his symptoms were not
thought to be serious. After the shock DR..
Searle the family physician, and later DIR.
Hammond of New York, were summoned,
and they agreed at once that recovery was
out of the question. On Sunday Mr..
Beecher was in deep comatose condition
all day. Mrs. Beecher was most of the time
in the sck-room. She bore up heroically
and scarcely ever left her husbands side.
Only the immediate family were allowed in
the sick-chamber. There was, however, an
exception made in the case of Rev. L. De-
Witt Talmage, who was with Mr.. Beecher
about fifteen minutes Other callers were
mostly city officials of New York and
Brooklyn. Mr.. Halliday conducted serv-
ices at Plymouth church Sunday morning,
and the eleven o'clock bulletin was read to
the congregation. The people were much
affected and tears flowed in abundance
This is the fiftieth year of Beecher's mar
riage, the fiftieth year of his ordination to
the ministry and the fortieth of his pastor
ate of Plymouth church His congregation
and friends intended to celebrate these
events in September in the Brooklyn
Beechers condition was unchanged. He
was utterly unconscious. Crowds stood on
the street and near the house, waiting for
news and watching the doctors, relatives
and privileged friends who came and went
Major Pond announced at forty minutes past
eleven Monday evening that the family
were gathered about the sick mans bed
side. His condition at that time was more
critical than it had been before during any
part of the day. Lights appeared in the
different parts of the house and the family
settled down for another night of watching
and anxiety. Henry Ward Beecher was
the third child of DIR. Lyman Beecher, him
self an eminent orthodox divine, and was
born at Litchfield Ct, June "a, 1913. He
was therefore in his seventy-fourth year
He graduated at Amherst College, studied
divinity at Lane Seminary and his first pas
torate of any note was at Indianapolis, be-
ginning in 1889 and ending in 1S47, when he
accepted call to Plymouth church in
Brooklyn. There he had been ever since,
preaching to the largest audiences and COM
manding the most attention of any clergy
man in America. Before going to Indian
apolis he was editor of the Cincinnati Jour
nal one year, and had since then for twenty
years been a leading writer for the hide
pendent and for many years the editor of
the Christian Union. He also wrote ex-
tensively for other papers, and his SER
mons in Plymouth pulpit have been gath
cred into numerous volumes He wrote a
Life of Christ, which was published in two
volumes, delivered lectures at Yale on
preaching, which have been published in a
book, and many of his other writings have
been issued in permanent form. Besides
doing all this, and while doing it, he found
time to lecture all over this country and in
England, and his services always COM
manded the highest platform prices. Mr..
Beecher's services in England in 1868 in be-
half of the Union cause will be long re-
membered.